L'Espagne va interdire les réseaux sociaux aux moins de 16 ans.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced that his government will move forward with a nationwide ban on social media access for children under the age of 16, in a bid to create a safer digital environment for young people. The announcement was made on Tuesday, 3 February 2026 at the World Government Summit in Dubai, where Sánchez outlined a series of measures aimed at tightening oversight of digital platforms.

What the Proposal Says

Under the proposed policy, children under 16 would be prohibited from accessing social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and others unless they can pass robust age verification checks. These checks would need to go beyond self-reported ages to systems that actually confirm a user’s age before granting access.

Sánchez described the new measure as necessary to protect children from harmful content and the uncontrolled environment of current social platforms.

“Our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone… We will protect them from the digital Wild West,” he said at the summit.

Context and Broader Digital Regulation

The Spanish announcement comes in the context of similar international efforts to regulate social media and protect young people online:

• Australia implemented the world’s first nationwide ban on social media for under-16s in December 2025 under its Online Safety (Age) Amendment Act.
• France recently approved legislation banning social media for under-15s and requiring age verification systems as part of broader online safety reforms.
• Several other European countries, including Denmark and the United Kingdom, are actively discussing or developing digital age restrictions.

Sánchez also said his government plans to introduce legislation that would hold social media executives legally accountable for illegal and hateful content, and even criminalise algorithmic manipulation and the amplification of unlawful material.

Goals and Rationale

Spanish authorities argue the policy is a response to the scale of harmful content online, including hate speech, misinformation and sexually exploitative material. Requiring platforms to verify age before granting access is intended to reduce minors’ exposure to those risks — a push that the government says will align with broader digital protections for children currently under parliamentary debate.

What Happens Next?

The measure announced by Sánchez will need to be formally drafted into law and then debated and approved through Spain’s legislative process. If adopted, it would make Spain one of the first major European countries to restrict social media access to older teens only.

Implementation details — such as how platforms will verify age and how the law will be enforced — are expected to be developed as part of the upcoming bill, which government officials say will be presented in the coming weeks.

This development reflects a broader global trend toward stronger digital protections for children. Authorities in multiple countries are grappling with how to balance free access to digital tools with concerns about mental health, safety and maturity. While specifics vary by jurisdiction, Spain’s proposed under-16 ban — if enacted — would be one of the most far-reaching measures yet, influencing ongoing discussions in education, policy and family communities about how society supports healthy digital development.